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It wasn't too bad. The guy was an interesting interviewer. He swore it was a question that his kids picked out the night before. I went with a "spork", telling him I liked that it was a multi-functional utensil (scooping or spearing!). He asked a few other odd questions. I got the feeling he wanted to see what kind of response (whether facial or verbal) I'd give him.
I don't think this was a dumb question at all. It might have been better to ask a student, but your interviewer sure didn't give you a very good answer.Me: Well, what do students like to do on a typical day in X city
Interviewer: You should not worry about what students do in the city. You should be more worried about studying. You won't have time to go out so there's no reason for you to worry about what students like to do here. Goes on for the next 30 minutes lecturing me about what to do during 1st year to do well. Continues talking about her job and what she likes to do for fun.
Me: (in my head i'm for asking that question)
I don't think this was a dumb question at all. It might have been better to ask a student, but your interviewer sure didn't give you a very good answer.
For those who dislike reading about menstrual period stories, or find them too awkward to discuss or otherwise, this story is not for you.
I remember reading teen magazines when I was younger, and being horrified at the period accident stories that the girls shared. I have always been lucky-- in general, my cycle is predictable and unremarkable, and I've been blessed to have never had a menstrual mishap.
I had an interview two weeks ago at a great school that I was particularly excited about. The crimson tide wasn't due for another 3 days, so I was in the clear, I figured. When I started my interview, I definitely felt that things were going well-- I clicked with my interviewer, who was a male surgeon who was happily telling me about how he ended up in the OR.
Then, I felt it. Perhaps the women here know that feeling you get when you know your period has started. Yes, it's sort of unmistakable for me. FRICK. Mild panic. But, our interview had already gone about 35 minutes-- couldn't be much more, right?
WRONG. 40 minutes later I was sitting with my legs tightly crossed, praying to the spirits that controlled my uterus to please keep the flood gates closed. But, no mercy today. I definitely knew I was bleeding for real. And damnit, this was an expensive suit! Then, I realized I faced the very real probability of making a bloody mess-- every seventh grade preteen public embarrassment fear I had slowly crept back, and I started to shiver.
Now, what should I have done? Kindly ask to be excused and take care of the problem.Or maybe politely point out that we had exceed out interview time, and I might be late for the Dean's session. Somehow, the hormones and nerves got mashed up and prevented my brain from arriving at sensible conclusions. I still can't believe I didn't even get up and ask to use the restroom for "feeling ill" or something. BRAIN FAIL.
Then, the cramps started. The first wave of cramps tore through my lower abdomen and I grabbed, the handles of my chair, clenched my teeth in a smile and rode them out. Another time, I had a nice sharp cramp as I was giving an answer to one of his questions. These were so painful I actually managed to yelp out loud in the middle of my response. I told him I was having hiccups. Yes, very pronounced hiccups. I did an effective grimace-grin for the rest of the conversation, and kept crossed my legs tight (I had no idea why I thought this would help...). I don't know if he saw how uncomfortable I was, but if he did, he was a champ at acting oblivious to it.
After what time like a full labor and birth's worth of cramps and a waterfall of uterine tissue, he happily ended our interview. Chair was clean (I think I would have barfed, passed out, and then died if I soaked through my suit), but that doesn't mean I wouldn't keep-keep bleeding. I scurried out and frantically tried to find a restroom. I happened to run by the admissions office, and the kind lady who coordinates things there flagged me down, saying "Oh, they moved on to the tour-- I can take you to where..."
"BATHROOM PLEASEEEEE"
Her face looked confused...and then she seemed to understand.
"Ohhhhh! Sweetie are you ok?"
Despite her genuine concern, that felt immensely awkward to me. But I didn't care at that point. She quickly pointed out a bathroom to me, where I ran in to survey the damage. To be polite, I won't describe the scene to you, but I ended up having to break the cardinal "always wear nylons/hose on interview day" rule. I felt sick and gross for the remainder of the day (I had a morning interview). I was "THAT GIRL" who wouldn't talk to anyone and just hung out by her self for the entire session.
Luckily, my parents had drove me to this interview, so I curled up in the back seat of my car for the joyous 8 hour trip home.
I feel really bad for you. I've had my own share of embarrassing period accidents, but yours tops them all. I hope you get accepted!For those who dislike reading about menstrual period stories, or find them too awkward to discuss or otherwise, this story is not for you.
I remember reading teen magazines when I was younger, and being horrified at the period accident stories that the girls shared. I have always been lucky-- in general, my cycle is predictable and unremarkable, and I've been blessed to have never had a menstrual mishap.
I had an interview two weeks ago at a great school that I was particularly excited about. The crimson tide wasn't due for another 3 days, so I was in the clear, I figured. When I started my interview, I definitely felt that things were going well-- I clicked with my interviewer, who was a male surgeon who was happily telling me about how he ended up in the OR.
Then, I felt it. Perhaps the women here know that feeling you get when you know your period has started. Yes, it's sort of unmistakable for me. FRICK. Mild panic. But, our interview had already gone about 35 minutes-- couldn't be much more, right?
WRONG. 40 minutes later I was sitting with my legs tightly crossed, praying to the spirits that controlled my uterus to please keep the flood gates closed. But, no mercy today. I definitely knew I was bleeding for real. And damnit, this was an expensive suit! Then, I realized I faced the very real probability of making a bloody mess-- every seventh grade preteen public embarrassment fear I had slowly crept back, and I started to shiver.
Now, what should I have done? Kindly ask to be excused and take care of the problem.Or maybe politely point out that we had exceed out interview time, and I might be late for the Dean's session. Somehow, the hormones and nerves got mashed up and prevented my brain from arriving at sensible conclusions. I still can't believe I didn't even get up and ask to use the restroom for "feeling ill" or something. BRAIN FAIL.
Then, the cramps started. The first wave of cramps tore through my lower abdomen and I grabbed, the handles of my chair, clenched my teeth in a smile and rode them out. Another time, I had a nice sharp cramp as I was giving an answer to one of his questions. These were so painful I actually managed to yelp out loud in the middle of my response. I told him I was having hiccups. Yes, very pronounced hiccups. I did an effective grimace-grin for the rest of the conversation, and kept crossed my legs tight (I had no idea why I thought this would help...). I don't know if he saw how uncomfortable I was, but if he did, he was a champ at acting oblivious to it.
After what time like a full labor and birth's worth of cramps and a waterfall of uterine tissue, he happily ended our interview. Chair was clean (I think I would have barfed, passed out, and then died if I soaked through my suit), but that doesn't mean I wouldn't keep-keep bleeding. I scurried out and frantically tried to find a restroom. I happened to run by the admissions office, and the kind lady who coordinates things there flagged me down, saying "Oh, they moved on to the tour-- I can take you to where..."
"BATHROOM PLEASEEEEE"
Her face looked confused...and then she seemed to understand.
"Ohhhhh! Sweetie are you ok?"
Despite her genuine concern, that felt immensely awkward to me. But I didn't care at that point. She quickly pointed out a bathroom to me, where I ran in to survey the damage. To be polite, I won't describe the scene to you, but I ended up having to break the cardinal "always wear nylons/hose on interview day" rule. I felt sick and gross for the remainder of the day (I had a morning interview). I was "THAT GIRL" who wouldn't talk to anyone and just hung out by her self for the entire session.
Luckily, my parents had drove me to this interview, so I curled up in the back seat of my car for the joyous 8 hour trip home.
Okay, I thought this was the kind of thing that only happens on sitcoms:
So this past thursday I'm on the plane flying out to Hartford for my Yale interview. When we land, the flight attendant says something about "Enjoy your stay, or welcome home." The man sitting next to me asks if I'm visiting, and I told him that yes, in fact this was my first time in New England at all. He asked what I was out here for, and eventually I explained that I was very excited because I had an interview at YMS.
He asked if they had a good school, and I went on about how well respected they are, and how cool the Yale system is. I said that I was excited because I didn't think I'd even get an interview, and I didn't think I'd get in because it's such a good school and I'm from a state school in the Midwest - mostly I wanted to get a sweatshirt and a picture of myself there to prove to people that I interviewed at Yale!
Then he said that after the initial screening the committee doesn't really consider things like undergrad school, and he was sure that I would have an excellent interview. This was when I asked him how he knew about the admissions process there.
"I'm in the administration at the medical school. I'm the chair of their internal medicine department."
My response - "Are you making this up? Really?" (Very smooth!)
So as we're leaving the plane, he offers to give me a ride down to New Haven (I already had a rental car). Then he introduces me to the head of their transplant unit who was also on our flight. Before he left, he gave me his name and office phone number, in case I had any free time after my interview and wanted to talk some more. He also asked for my name because "I'll be sure to remember it later." AHHHHH! THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE!
So the moral of the story is: Be nice to people sitting next to you on planes/in the airport/at restaurants! You just never know!
Anyway, a gentleman soon approached us to let us know that he was our driver and that we should be heading out. We followed him outside and all sort of drifted toward this van that we assume would be our ride.
Except of course the driver, who proceeded to open the door to the limo and usher us inside.
The best part was that my interview was literally only a block away at the state psychiatric hospital.
Arrived in style (confused, but in style).
I guess this one wasn't bizarre as much as it was just bad...
So for my faculty interview at [undisclosed school] I had an awful experience. The interviewer spent half an hour talking about his research and didn't let me get a word in. Halfway through he paused to answer his phone for 5 minutes, then just went back to talking at me. After that he sent me back to the admissions office (the interview was supposed to be an hour long...). I spent the next half an hour sitting there stunned (also eating a muffin).
Sometime later in the day (i think it was during the tour) one of the M2s asked me how my interview went, and I responded: *sigh,* "I guess it was okay, it was a little short..."
Shouldn't have said anything...
At the end of the day, the dean of admissions pulled me aside, brought me into her office, sat me down alone, and told me "so i heard your interview didn't go well"
I'm wondering where she heard this from! From the student? Unlikely. Interviewer himself? Probably. Anyway I think I just gibbered for a few moments and then excused myself.
Attempt to revive this highly amusing thread! Just spent several hours reading through it!
I do have a bizarre story, though it was more awesome bizarre than terrible.
I'd already had a few really awkward, not that great interviews at schools I was later wait-listed at (at one school, half the interview was "Are you SURE you'd never violate HIPPA? REALLY? What about your parents; they're doctors, right? Would THEY violate it?" At the other, I was SO nervous and awkward that by the end one of the interviewers had this face eek as I left the room...ugh...) As a result, I wasn't feeling incredibly confidant going into the interview, but was doing my best to be cheerful and optimistic!
The day was set up with two, 1 hour long interviews, and things were going normally until I walked into my first one with a fourth year medical student. As soon as I walked in, she rose to her feet with a very serious expression and took one of my hands in both of hers.
"Let me just say, it is an absolute honor to meet you. I've never read an application as inspiring as yours."
The interview continued along that vein, with me trying desperately not to say anything too dumb to discourage her! I was stunned, and still don't really understand what impressed her so much. Can't say I was complaining, though!
The second interview was with a faculty member, and we had an uncanny amount of things in common (he grew up in my hometown, ran a medical mission trip in a city I'd traveled to many times, and had a son interested in the same teaching program I'm currently working in.) When he asked me to "discuss a current problem in healthcare," I picked a issue that, while important to me, could easily have been seen as frivolous by the wrong person; turns out he'd written several books on the subject!
When the day ended, the dean of admissions was going around and shaking the hands of all the applicants. When he got to me, he gave me a bear hug and said "We're routin' for you, Darlin'!"
Absolutely surreal!
I walk into the room and sit down
The interviewer enters the room 5 minutes later. She sits down and places her left hand over her right.
Suddenly, a waiter enters the room with a silver plate with a gold cover, presumably concealing an elegant dish.
She gently pushes the plate towards me and upon doing so, the waiter removes the gold cover from the plate. To my chagrin, a poop hotdog lays before me.
She begins to sweat and shake, removing her glasses from her face in a manner similar to that seen in Hitler Youtube videos. She then asks the waiter to leave the room. She looks down at the poop hotdog, and back at me. Then back down at the dog....then back at me.
And she utters those dreaded words: "How badly do you want to attend our school?"
The rest is history.
I walk into the room and sit down
The interviewer enters the room 5 minutes later. She sits down and places her left hand over her right.
Suddenly, a waiter enters the room with a silver plate with a gold cover, presumably concealing an elegant dish.
She gently pushes the plate towards me and upon doing so, the waiter removes the gold cover from the plate. To my chagrin, a poop hotdog lays before me.
She begins to sweat and shake, removing her glasses from her face in a manner similar to that seen in Hitler Youtube videos. She then asks the waiter to leave the room. She looks down at the poop hotdog, and back at me. Then back down at the dog....then back at me.
And she utters those dreaded words: "How badly do you want to attend our school?"
The rest is history.
Excellent.
Towards the end of my second interview of the day, I was asked: if you were a kitchen utensil, what kind of kitchen utensil would you be?
He was serious.
The sad past is the smell kind of transferred to the suit and the dry cleaning somehow locked it in (for freshness I suppose). As result I spray cologne under the arms of the suit before wearing it though the smell isn't very noticeable anymore (with subsequent dry cleanings and a change of dry cleaners) but for the few interviews I had that followed I carried deodorant with me.
I haven't had any interviews yet, but I was reading through the UT - Memphis interview question list and came across: "Have you ever noticed how people from different countries all smell differently?"
I was trying to answer the questions in my head as I went along to see which ones I should spend time practicing, and on this one my inner dialogue went "...uh...what?"
If it's a real question I wonder what they're going for.
I interviewed at a school on Friday and my interviewer was super awesome. He kept saying how I had his vote and blah blah, and then at the end of my interview, I go to shake his hand and he pulls me in and hugs me. (we're both males). It was more of a "man hug" but it was still the most awkward but hilarious interview moment I've had.
After my interview I was talking to another interviewee and I told him what had happened and the admissions lady heard and said "did you said he HUGGED YOU?" We were all cracking up.
For the first 10 minutes of my interview, the interviewer thought he was interviewing me for the PA program at the school. He was giving me really weird looks for the first few questions but we finally figured it out when he asked 'Why DON'T you want to be a Physician?'.. We had a good laugh and I got an acceptance letter 5 days later.
I walk into the room and sit down
The interviewer enters the room 5 minutes later. She sits down and places her left hand over her right.
Suddenly, a waiter enters the room with a silver plate with a gold cover, presumably concealing an elegant dish.
She gently pushes the plate towards me and upon doing so, the waiter removes the gold cover from the plate. To my chagrin, a poop hotdog lays before me.
She begins to sweat and shake, removing her glasses from her face in a manner similar to that seen in Hitler Youtube videos. She then asks the waiter to leave the room. She looks down at the poop hotdog, and back at me. Then back down at the dog....then back at me.
And she utters those dreaded words: "How badly do you want to attend our school?"
The rest is history.
For the first 10 minutes of my interview, the interviewer thought he was interviewing me for the PA program at the school. He was giving me really weird looks for the first few questions but we finally figured it out when he asked 'Why DON'T you want to be a Physician?'.. We had a good laugh and I got an acceptance letter 5 days later.
my fav post on this thread is the one where the guy thought his student tour guy was trying to give him a hug when he was trying to get his coat from the rack behind him.
Alright so another one...This one is actually me being stupid and not someone in my group (as people are figuring out, I am all about being awkward...also, I am a guy, so keep that in mind)
So I am at Loyola (they rendered the decision today so whatever), and I absolutely loved the school! Everyone was so nice, and for the first time, my interviews actually went longer than the time allotted. I had a really good feeling about my chances, and I felt the day couldn't have gone any better. Because my interviews went late, however, I had to go on the campus tour by myself with the tour guide. It wasn't a big deal, and the guy that took me on the tour was a really cool guy. He had a great sense of humor and really tried to show me as much as he could. Eventually, the day came to a close, and we had to go back to the admissions office. While we were wrapping up, my tour guide reached his arm past my head to grab something. I didn't look behind me to see what he was grabbing, and instinctively acted by hugging him around the back. Before I realized what had happened, he was kind of hugging me back and we were awkwardly patting each other on the back and looking at one another sheepishly. I broke the awkwardness by saying something like, "I hope your wedding goes well." We finally release from this horribly contorted hug, and I turn around to see that he had been reaching for his jacket. I could feel my ears starting to burn, and I shook his hand, and told everyone I had to finish the rest of the paperwork. A few minutes passed, and I went to turn in my paperwork, and the secretary said to me, "So you really enjoyed yourself?"
I was so embarrassed! If you read this tour guide, I am so sorry...I am not gay (not that there is anything wrong with that).
I had a very similar experience! Really makes you feel good.I walk into the room. The interviewer, an MD/PhD, has his back to the door and is using his computer. I introduce myself to him. He says:
"Well, the good news is...(turns around) nothing you say can hurt you at this point."
The bad news was that he couldn't accept me right then and there (because he's obviously not the only person on the AdCom.)
Here I was expecting to get interrogated, and the guy tells me the only point of the interview is for him to convince ME to choose their school.
Here's hoping I get accepted. I hope this wasn't some interview trick designed to give me a false sense of security.
"Compare physician responses to the, now recognized, AIDS epidemic in the early 1980's to their response to SARS in 2003"
Luckily, as a older applicant, I definitely remember SARS. To answer his question I spoke for several minutes about different patient populations, the continueing mis-conception of HIV-AIDS as just a disease for gay people, advances in technology for virus identification and communication, etc etc... He lets me go on and then says, "Okay, that's all great, but what about the physicians." OH. right. *cringe*
An entire hour of scenarios and discussions like these. Comparing notes with other people that day, they reported theirs were light conversations.
Result: Accepted.
At one interview, my interview said, verbatim, that people south of the Mason-Dixon line are "a bunch of snake-handlers."
Now, I'm pretty sure I'm going against the grain here, especially for you Texas people, but I personally love anyone who broadly paints everyone in the South in a negative light in a professional situation. I hear a lot of complaints about interviewers saying politically incorrect and abrasive things, and honestly, I'm not feeling you. This kind of direct ****-slinging food fight mentality is actually just what I want to hear and makes me feel more comfortable.
My interview with this faculty member made this school skyrocket up my list to #2.